Adel Abidin

Previously at the Venice Biennale and now in San Francisco comes a visual installation by artist Adel Abidin in the form of a travel agency promoting vacation trips to Baghdad. Abidin Travels uses humor and sarcasm to invite visitors to explore the realities of life in Iraq. In addition, a kiosk allows visitors to make reservations online and also receive printed tickets.

Rijin Sahakian, the project's curator said, "What is happening in Iraq today is beyond the parameters of a strictly political discussion. By providing individual histories, experiences, and artistic practice, we explore the questions that emerge regarding what these enormous losses of life, culture and humanity mean for society as a whole."

Adel Abidin was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1973 and now lives and works in Helsinki. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in both Baghdad and Helsinki. He is currently the artist in-residence at Montalvo through November.

Organized by Montalvo Art Center Presenting partner: Graduate Program of Fine Arts at California College of the Arts

Adel Abidin
"Abidin Travels"